System for the expulsion of bars or metal ingots from molds, plant for the production of bars or ingots including such system and process for the expulsion of bars or metal ingots from molds

ABSTRACT

A system for the expulsion of bars or metal ingots from the molds in which they are formed and a plant for the production of bars or ingots including such system and to a process for the expulsion of bars or metal ingots from molds are detailed herein.The expulsion system of metal bars or ingots from molds includes a load-bearing structure to which a rotation cradle is rotatably associated adapted to support and hold back at least a mold having at least a body or ingot mold having at least one cavity for the formation of at least one ingot or bar. The rotation cradle is adapted to rotate to cause the expulsion by fall of the bar or ingot contained within the ingot mold. An impact plane or impact surface is arranged below the rotation cradle and adapted to receive the bar or ingot falling from the body.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure refers to a system for the expulsion of bars ormetal ingots from the molds in which they are formed. The presentdisclosure also refers to a plant for the production of bars or ingotsincluding such system and to a process for the expulsion of bars ormetal ingots from molds.

BACKGROUND

As is known, bars or metal ingots are often produced by meltingprocesses of powders, particles, granules or fragments of various sizesand subsequent solidification inside special molds, this in particularapplies in the case in which the bars or ingots have a certaindimension.

These processes are divided into two types, those by “melting andpouring”, in which the metal charge is poured in the molten state intomolds in which it will cool down, and those in which the charge ismelted directly in the molds, where it will then be solidified andcooled. In both mentioned cases, the metal is brought to melting attemperatures above its own melting temperature in order to ensurehomogeneity in the bar or ingot obtained. Generally these temperaturesreach the order of 1000° C. depending on the type of metal treated.

Once melted, the metal will take on the shape of the molds in which itwill solidify to form the desired bars or ingots.

Then, once a total melting has been achieved, the metal is solidifiedand cooled inside the mold before being removed from the latter.

As already mentioned, metals melt at quite high temperatures and beforereaching them they maintain their solid state. Consequently, also in theprocess for cooling the metal in the molds, the latter reaches a solidstate long before reaching so-called “cold” temperatures, i.e. ambienttemperatures, at which the bars or ingots can be handled. Usually thetemperature at which the solid state is reached, after melting, is stillquite high, for example above about 800° C., depending on the type ofmetal. Therefore, in known processes it is necessary to wait for themetal to reach a temperature at which the bars or ingots can beextracted from the molds manually or by means of suitable systems, suchas suction cup systems.

This creates a considerable dead time between the moment the bar oringot reaches the solid state and the moment it is cooled until atemperature is reached at which it can be manipulated in order to beextracted from the mold. This dead time represents, in addition to alengthening of the times of the process, a considerable waste in termsof energy expenditure, as at each cycle the bar or ingot, and therewiththe mold, must be cooled until temperatures close to the ambienttemperature are reached before being able to remove the bar or the ingotfrom the mold and the latter be filled with new solid material to bemelted bringing it back to a temperature higher than the meltingtemperature of the treated metal, starting from a temperature close tothe ambient one.

The need to cool the molds down to temperatures close to ambienttemperature before being able to remove the bars or ingots formedtherefrom also entails space problems due to the need to store the moldsin a suitable cooling space, as well as to the need to have aconsiderable number of molds to be able to ensure a certain processcontinuity.

In processes in which the melting and solidification of the metal takeplace directly in the molds, the wait for cooling causes a certainstandstill of the process and of the plant as these are often procedureswith various stations following one another, in which the standstillphase prevents from continuing with the next phase and therefore frombeing able to start a new cycle.

These plants are cumbersome and energetically expensive and need toincrease their production capacity as much as possible to remainaffordable.

Furthermore, the molds or ingot molds, since they must withstand veryhigh temperatures, have particular thermal characteristics, which makesit difficult to accelerate the cooling process through external coolingsystems before extracting the bar or metal ingot therefrom.

The problem of the bar extraction in the sector for obtaining copperingots is faced by rotating the ingot mold. The operation is facilitatedby the fact that the ingot mold is made of cast iron and does not have alid.

Furthermore, in the processing of copper, the problem of energy savingdoes not arise as the copper is poured already melted into the ingotmold, which can be easily cooled.

Examples of ingot expulsion systems are described in documents CN 203830 675, KR 101 795 988 and JP S51 49722; however these solutionsinvolve the friction of the ingot on its upper surface or in any caseprovide for the ingot to impact with its sides against surfaces of theexpulsion systems themselves. Therefore these solutions are notapplicable to all types of metals, especially when they are still athigh temperatures as they risk to compromise the ingots and theirquality.

In fact, with regard to some metals, such as pure gold and silver, it isimportant that the ingots, above all, but not only, when they are stillat high temperatures, are not handled in such a way as to causefrictions and collisions in order to avoid damaging them and to keepthem compliant with the rules that apply to the production of ingots.

In fact, since gold and silver are metals with low hardness, they can betherefore easily scratched and nicked, the ingots of these metals havesurfaces that can be easily damaged (scratched, nicked) as a result ofimpacts and friction contacts with surfaces and therefore can be scrapedand damaged very easily, even if they are cold.

For example, we refer to the LBMA Good Delivery Rules, but also to therules of the SGE Shangai Gold Exchange, of the COMEX for the USA, of theGOST for the Russian Federation and of the DMMCC for the United ArabEmirates.

It is in fact very important that the ingots maintain a very highquality, not only for aesthetic reasons that allow the prices of ingotsto be kept high but also for technical reasons (such as for example forweighing, etc. . . . ).

In particular, it is important that the upper surface maintains animpeccable finish, and therefore remains untouched until it iscompletely cooled. Edges and side surfaces must also be kept flat andsmooth, and in any case be free of irregularities. Furthermore, theimpact on the side edges could cause nicks which, by removing thematerial, cause a weight loss and therefore an economic loss of thevalue of the ingot or bar up until a bar can result as non-compliant,since it is below the weight required by the cited standards.

SUMMARY

The object of the present disclosure is to obviate the aforementioneddrawbacks and in particular to devise a system, an apparatus and aprocess for the expulsion of bars or metal ingots from the molds capableof expelling the bar or ingot from the mold even when the bar or theingot itself has high temperatures.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for theexpulsion of bars or metal ingots capable of increasing the efficiencyof the processes for forming bars or metal ingots, both in terms ofenergy and in terms of time.

A further object of the present disclosure is to realise an extremelysafe system for the expulsion of bars or ingots.

Another object of the present disclosure is to realise a system for theexpulsion of bars or ingots which does not compromise the quality of theingot or bar.

These and other objects according to the present disclosure are achievedby realising an expulsion system as set forth in claim 1.

The object of the present disclosure is also a plant for forming metalbars or ingots comprising this system, as set out in claim 11.

A further object of the present disclosure is a process for theexpulsion of bars or metal ingots from molds as set out in claim 12.

Further characteristics of the device are the object of the dependentclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The characteristics and advantages of a system for the expulsion of barsor metal ingots from molds, of a plant for the production of bars oringots including such system and of an expulsion process according tothe present disclosure will become more evident from the following,exemplary and non-limiting description, referring to the attachedschematic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a system for the expulsion of an ingot from amold according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the system of FIG. 1 along the lineIII-III;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are respectively axonometric side and sectional views ofthe system of FIG. 1 in a first position;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views like those of FIGS. 4A and 4B which show thesystem of FIG. 1 in a second position;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views like those of FIGS. 4A and 4B which show thesystem of FIG. 1 in a third position;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views like those of FIGS. 4A and 4B which show thesystem of FIG. 1 in a fourth position;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are views like those of FIGS. 4A and 4B which show thesystem of FIG. 1 in a fifth position;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are views like those of FIGS. 4A and 4B which show thesystem of FIG. 1 in a sixth position; and

FIGS. 10A and 10B are views like those of FIGS. 4A and 4B which show thesystem of FIG. 1 in a seventh position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the figures, a system for the expulsion of bars ormetal ingots from molds is shown, indicated as a whole with 10. In thefollowing description, reference will be made for simplicity's sake toat least one mold for forming at least one ingot, the present disclosurein any case also refers to molds for the production of at least one baror a plurality of ingots or bars.

Basically, it is possible to use the expulsion system 10 on one or moremolds/ingot molds, each provided with one or more cavities, to produceone or more ingots/bars per cycle, such as for example on a single ingotmold with two (or more) cavities or on two (or more) ingot molds side byside, each with two (or more) cavities.

In particular, a system 10 for the expulsion of at least one ingot 2 orbar from at least one mold comprising a body or ingot mold 20 closed bya removable lid 21 is shown. The ingot mold 20 comprises at least onecavity for the formation of a corresponding ingot 2, which cavity isclosed at the top by the removable lid 21. As mentioned above, in thefollowing description reference will be made to a system 10 for theexpulsion of ingots 2 from a mold, it being understood that a similardescription applies in the case of metal bars.

For simplification purposes, the Cartesian plane is defined, visible inFIG. 2 , in which the axis y is the axis of development in height, theaxis x is the axis of development in depth and the axis z is the axis ofdevelopment in width of the expulsion system 10.

According to the present disclosure, the expulsion system 10 comprises aload-bearing structure 3, adapted to support, even indirectly, a moldcontaining metal being solidified or already solidified for theformation of an ingot 2. The expulsion system 10 further comprises arotation cradle 4 adapted to rotate on itself carrying along the ingotmold 20 so as to make the ingot 2 fall.

Preferably, the expulsion system 10 comprises at least one arm 5associated to this rotation cradle 4 and adapted to control the fall ofthe ingot 2.

The expulsion system 10 further comprises an impact plane or a surface 6arranged below the rotation cradle 4 and on which the ingot 2 impactsafter being expelled by fall from the ingot mold 20.

In particular, the support structure 3 comprises a fixed frame to whichthe rotation cradle 4 is rotatably associated which in turn comprises aresting surface 40 on which the mold is placed. The resting surface 40is fixed to the rotation cradle 4, thus rotating therewith.Advantageously, the rotation cradle 4 comprises retaining elements 13 ofthe ingot mold 20 which are associated to the resting surface 40 andwhich make the ingot mold 20 integral in rotation with the rotationcradle 4, in particular with the resting surface 40. In the embodimentshown, these retaining elements 13 are associated to the resting surface40 by means of side plates 91. The side plates 91 are fixed to therotation cradle 4 thus rotating therewith.

In the preferred and shown embodiment, the resting surface 40 and theside plates 91 are associated with or constituted by cooling plates,respectively base and side ones, between which the ingot mold 20 ishoused.

Therefore, advantageously, the resting surface 40 and the side plates 91also act as cooling elements of the ingot mold 20 and therefore of theingot 2 inside it, being provided with suitable cooling water passagesinside them, in order to produce in the ingot 2 a homogeneoussolidification in the three dimensions obtaining regular and uniformisothermal crystallization lines, so that the post-solidification uppersurface is regular and smooth.

In particular, as visible for example in FIG. 3 , the retaining elements13 are formed by protrusions projecting from the opposite faces of theside plates 91 and which abut on the upper edge of the ingot mold 20 ina portion thereof not covered by the lid 21.

Preferably, the side plates 91 are arranged spaced apart from each otherand parallel to a plane orthogonal to the resting plane 40 and parallelor containing the rotation axis of the rotation cradle 4; these sideplates 91 act as a guide for the sliding of the ingot mold 20 betweenthem along a sliding direction parallel to the rotation axis of therotation cradle 4 so that the ingot mold 20 or rather the mold can beshifted between a position in which it is housed resting on the restingsurface 40 between the two side plates 91 and a position in which it ismoved away from the resting surface 40, for example in order to beintroduced into a heating station for melting the metal.

Preferably, the arm 5 comprises a first end and a second end and iscoupled to the rotation cradle 4 so as to be movable between a firstposition, in which it is disposed totally outside the ingot mold 20, anda second position, in which it is partially inserted in the ingot mold20 with a second end thereof abutting on the ingot 2. Preferably, thearm 5 is hinged at its first end to the rotation cradle 4 in a rotatablemanner along an axis which, in a possible embodiment, is parallel to therotation axis of the rotation cradle 4.

When the arm 5 is in its second position, the lid 21 has been previouslyremoved from the ingot mold 20. When the arm 5 is in its first position,it does not hinder the removal of the lid 21 of the ingot mold 20.Preferably, the arm 5, when it is in its second position, has its secondend in abutment against the upper surface of the ingot 2 preferably in aperimeter area thereof and still more preferably at a side of this uppersurface which extends parallel to the rotation axis of the rotationcradle 4. In particular, the second end of the arm 5, when the latter isin its second position, abuts on a perimeter portion of the uppersurface of the ingot 2 at the side of the ingot 2 which extends parallelto the rotation axis of the rotation cradle 4 and which, with respect tothe direction of rotation of the rotation cradle 4 (indicated by thearrow R in FIG. 2 ), is located in the first rotation quadrant (i.e. thequadrant corresponding to the rotation of the rotation cradle 4 from 0°to 90°). This side is advantageously one of the two shorter sides of theingot 2. The arm 5, when it is in its second position, also leaves theupper opening of the ingot mold 20 free so as to leave sufficient spacefor the expulsion of the ingot 2, without hindering the fall thereof.

In an alternative embodiment not shown, the expulsion system 10 couldprovide the ingot mold 20 positioned in such a way that its long side isparallel to the rotation axis of the rotation cradle 4. In this case,the second end of the arm 5, when the latter is in its second position,abuts on a perimeter portion of the upper surface of the ingot 2 at thelong side of the ingot 2 and which, with respect to the direction ofrotation of the rotation cradle 4, is located in the first rotationquadrant.

In the shown embodiment, the arm 5 has an arched shape and has, at itsend, a foot or stop 51, for example constituted by an elongated body ora bar, which abuts on the ingot 2.

The arm 5 is adapted to control the expulsion of the ingot 2 from theingot mold 20 by fall and to cause a certain rotation thereof. Inparticular, the arm 5, acting on the side of the ingot 2 parallel to therotation axis of the rotation cradle 4 which is located in the firstrotation quadrant of the rotation cradle itself, acts as a fulcrum forthe ingot 2 which, when falling, performs a 360° rotation, or a“somersault”, landing on the impact plane or surface 6 with the lowersurface, that is the one which, inside the mold, is in contact with thebottom of the ingot mold 20.

As visible in particular in FIG. 7B, the arm 5 abuts against the ingot 2at one of its short sides, preferably the short side closest to it, thusto the point at which it is hinged.

Alternative embodiments of the arm 5 are not excluded which, forexample, could be hinged to the rotation cradle 4 around an axis notnecessarily parallel to the rotation axis of the cradle itself or whichcould be constituted by the stem or by an extension of the stem of acylinder-piston unit, in which the end of said stem or of said extensionis adapted to rest on a portion of the upper surface of the ingot 2.

In a possible alternative embodiment, the expulsion system 10 does notcomprise the arm 5 and the bar or ingot 2 is allowed to fall by therotation of the rotation cradle 4. In this case the bar or ingotperforms a rotation not exceeding 180°, thus it lands on the impactplane or surface 6 with its upper surface.

The impact plane or surface 6 is arranged below the rotation cradle 4,so that when the rotation cradle 4 rotates, the ingot 2 falls directlyonto it.

For example, the impact surface 6 can be a sand surface, i.e. a layer ofsand.

In the embodiment of the figures, an impact plane 6 is shown associatedwith the support structure 3 so as to form an angle {acute over (α)}with the resting plane of the support structure 3. The angle {acute over(α)} is visible in FIG. 3 . For example, for large bars of 1000 oz Ag(about 31.1 Kg) the angle {acute over (α)} of the impact plane 6 isabout 15° and the optimal distance between the resting surface 40 andthe centre of the impact plane 6 is about 400 mm.

In particular, the more the distance between the resting plane 40 andthe impact plane 6 increases, the more the angle {acute over (α)} of theinclined plane decreases.

Preferably, the impact plane or surface 6 is associated with the supportstructure 3 so that the highest side thereof is parallel to the rotationaxis of the rotation cradle 4 and is arranged to receive the ingot 2falling from the ingot mold 20 (considering a section along a planeorthogonal to the rotation axis of the rotation cradle 4, the impactplane 6 is arranged inclined from top to bottom in the direction ofrotation of the rotation cradle 4 itself, forming a sort of chute forthe ingot 2).

These characteristics allow not only to ensure that the impact betweenthe impact plane 6 and the ingot 2 occurs between two surfaces, but alsoto favour the movement of the ingot 2 towards a subsequent treatmentstation, in particular a cooling station.

For example, the impact plane 6 could make the ingot 2 slide directlyinto a cooling tank or it could cooperate with a thrusting and/ortransport system, of the type for example with pushers and/or belt,adapted to move the ingot 2 to a subsequent treatment station.

In this regard, in a possible embodiment, the impact plane 6 comprisesguides 61 adapted to channel the ingot towards a distancing area.

Furthermore, the expulsion system 10 comprises impact absorber elements7 interposed between the load-bearing structure 3 and the impact plane 6and adapted to absorb the impact of the ingot 2 falling on the impactplane 6.

Preferably, the impact plane 6 is a metal plate made of a materialresistant to high temperatures. In an optimal embodiment it is AISI 304or AISI 316 or AISI 310 stainless steel which at the same time allows itto withstand the numerous impacts of ingots 2 it undergoes and also towithstand well to high temperatures.

The impact plane 6 is in any case a replaceable element as it is subjectto wear.

Preferably, the rotation cradle 4 is adapted to perform a rotarymovement from 0° to 200°, preferably from 0° to 145°, still morepreferably from 0° to 120°, wherein the position at 0° corresponds tothe position in which the resting plane 40 of the ingot mold 20 isparallel to the resting plane of the load-bearing structure 3 or groundand the position corresponding to the maximum rotation (200°, 145°,120°) corresponds to the position in which the resting plane 40 of theingot mold 20 is located at the end of the rotation of the rotationcradle 4. This rotary movement is calibrated to the dimensions of theingot 2 to be expelled so as to ensure that the ingot 2 impacts on theimpact plane 6 with one of its flat base surfaces, preventing it fromimpacting on the impact plane 6 with one of its side surfaces, edges orcorners.

The expulsion system 10 can comprise, depending on the type of ingotforming process to which it is associated, manipulation means 8 of thelid 21 of the ingot mold 20. Such manipulation means 8 are suitable forthe removal of the lid 21 before the expulsion of the ingot 2 and forthe repositioning of the lid 21 on the ingot mold 20 after the ingot 2has been expelled and the ingot mold 20 advantageously filled with a newsolid charge to be melted.

In particular, in the embodiment shown for example in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4A,the manipulation means 8 of the lid 21 comprise gripping elements 81 ofthe lid 21 movable along the axis x and the axis y by means of suitablemovement means 83 associated with a structure 82. The structure 82 ispreferably associated with the load-bearing structure 3 of the system10. In the embodiment shown, in particular in FIG. 3 , the movementmeans 83 are constituted by two linear actuators adapted respectively tomove the gripping elements 81 along the axis x and along the axis y.

Preferably, the gripping elements 81 can form a gripper, or compriseelements which can be coupled to respective complementary elementsplaced on the lid 21 of the ingot mold 20, or they can also comprisesuction cups adapted to grip the lid 21.

In the preferred and shown embodiment, as visible in particular in FIGS.2 and 3 , the expulsion system 10 comprises a driving motor 111 of therotation cradle 4 associated with motion transmission means 11, toautomate the rotary movement of the rotation cradle 4. By driving motor111 it is meant any motor system adapted to drive the rotation cradle 4in rotation, whether it consists of an electric motor, a rotaryactuator, etc.

Furthermore, the expulsion system 10 can also comprise an actuator 12 ofthe arm 5, which allows the automation of the movement of the arm 5 fromits first position to its second position and vice versa. Preferably, itis a linear type actuator 12 which has an end articulated to the arm 5and an end articulated to the rotation cradle 4.

The expulsion system 10 can be a stand-alone system or it can be anintegral part of a station of an ingot forming plant 2.

In this case, the expulsion system 10 is an integral part of a stationsubsequent to the metal melting station, at which the ingot mold 20 hasbeen subjected to high temperatures to allow the metal charge containedtherein to be melted. Preferably, the expulsion system 10 is an integralpart of a station for solidifying the metal charge melted into an ingot,however, it is not excluded that it may be part of an expulsion stationsubsequent to the solidification station or of a cooling stationsubsequent to the solidification station.

Again as previously described, if the expulsion system 10 is an integralpart of a solidification station, it is associated with cooling means tocool the ingot mold 20 after the melting phase. In the representedembodiment, these cooling means are integral with the rotation cradle 4and are constituted by the resting surface 40 and the two side plates91, in which each cooling plate is crossed by a coil in which a coolingfluid flows (for example water).

Furthermore, when the expulsion system 10 is an integral part of astation of a plant for the continuous production of ingots, it can becompleted with a distancing system, for example a belt or a pusher,which moves the ingot away from the impact plane 6 towards a subsequentstation of the plant, such as for example a cooling station, such as awater tank. The expulsion system thus allows to increase theproductivity of the plant for forming ingots, allowing the ingot mold 20to be quickly freed from the ingot 2 when it is still at hightemperatures (of the order of about 800° C.) and to be used immediatelyfor the formation of subsequent ingots, filling it with a new metalcharge when still hot.

In this regard, an advantage of the expulsion system 10 according to thepresent disclosure includes the possibility of not having to cool downthe ingot mold 20 between one melting process and the subsequent one totemperatures close to ambient temperature, thus being able to reduceenergy expenditure.

The operation of the expulsion system 10 is as follows. With referenceto FIGS. 4A to 11B, the expulsion system 10 is shown in a series ofsuccessive positions which it assumes during its operation.

The ingot mold 20, closed by the lid 21, is positioned on the rotationcradle 4, after having been subjected to the melting phase, as visiblein FIGS. 4A and 4B. Subsequently, the movement means 83, associated withthe structure 82, are activated to move the gripping elements 81 tooverlap the lid 21 of the ingot mold 20 to grasp it (FIGS. 5A and 5B).By means of the reverse movement of the gripping elements 81, the lid 21is removed and moved away from the ingot mold 20, so as not to create anobstacle during the expulsion process (FIGS. 6A and 6B). It is notedthat during these first phases, the arm 5 is in its first position. Oncethe lid 21 has been removed and moved away, the arm 5 is moved to itssecond position by the actuator 12, so that the foot or stop 51 presentat its second end abuts against an edge of the upper surface of theingot 2 formed in the ingot mold 20 (FIGS. 7A and 7B).

At this point, the rotation of the rotation cradle 4 is activated,preferably from 0° to 120° (FIGS. 8A, 8B, 9A and 9B), which causes theingot 2 to be expelled by fall, which falls on the impact plane orsurface 6. During its fall, the ingot 2 is controlled by the foot orstop 51 of the arm 5 which, thanks to its arrangement and structure,controls the rotation thereof by acting as a “fulcrum”. In particular,the foot or stop 51 of the arm 5 controls the fall of the ingot 2 so asto make it perform a 360° turn, or “somersault”, so as to make it landon the impact plane or surface 6 on the same surface on which it wasresting in the ingot mold 20 (FIGS. 9A and 9B).

Once the ingot 2 has fallen, the rotation cradle 4, together with thearm 5, returns to the initial position (0° position) (FIGS. 10A and10B).

Finally, the arm 5 is moved to its first position so as to free theingot mold 20.

At this point, the ingot mold 20 is free to be filled again, or to betransported to the initial stations of the plant, while the ingot 2 istransported to the subsequent processing stations, in particular acooling station.

In other words, the expulsion system 10 performs the following steps ofa process for the expulsion of an ingot 2 or metal bar from an ingotmold 20 or mold:

-   -   providing a mold comprising a body or ingot mold 20 with at        least one molding cavity of at least one ingot closed at the top        by a removable lid 21 and containing at least one solidified        ingot 2;    -   removing the lid 21 from the ingot mold 20;    -   rotating the ingot mold 20 at an angle greater than 90° to cause        the expulsion by fall of the ingot 2 contained thereof;    -   collecting the ingot 2 on an impact plane or surface 6.

Advantageously, the process for expelling an ingot 2 or bar can comprisethe phase of blocking a perimeter portion of the ingot 2 after the phaseof removing the lid 21 of the ingot mold 20.

Advantageously, the phase of blocking a perimeter portion of the ingot 2takes place by partially inserting in the ingot mold 20 an arm 5, whichwill accompany the ingot during its fall as described above. Theprocess, in preferred embodiments, can include phases of absorbing theshock caused by the fall of the ingot 2 on the impact plane 6, movingthe ingot 2 away to a subsequent station, advantageously a coolingstation, or even cooling the ingot 2 throughout the expulsion process.

From the above description the features of the device object of thepresent disclosure, as well as the advantages thereof, are evident.

Finally, it is evident that the expulsion system thus conceived issusceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all falling withinthe same inventive concept; furthermore, all details can be replaced byequivalent technical elements. In practice, the materials used, as wellas the dimensions, can be any according to the technical requirements.

1. An expulsion system of metal bars or ingots from molds, saidexpulsion system comprising: a load-bearing structure to which arotation cradle is associated adapted to support and hold back a moldcomprising a body or an ingot mold having at least one cavity forforming at least one ingot or bar, said rotation cradle being adapted torotate so as to cause the expulsion by fall of said bar or ingotcontained within said ingot mold, an impact plane or an impact surfacearranged below said rotation cradle and adapted to receive said bar oringot falling from said body.
 2. The expulsion system according to claim1, further comprising at least one arm adapted to control the fall ofsaid bar or ingot from said ingot mold.
 3. The expulsion systemaccording to claim 2, wherein said arm is arranged to act as a fulcrumfor overturning said bar or ingot, i.e. for inducing said arm to performa rotation of about 360° during its fall.
 4. The expulsion systemaccording to claim 2, wherein said arm comprises a first end and asecond end and said arm is coupled to said rotation cradle in a movablemanner between a first position, in which said arm is disposedcompletely outside said ingot mold, and a second position, in which saidarm is at least partially inserted in said ingot mold with one of thefirst end and the second ends resting on a perimeter area of the uppersurface of said ingot.
 5. The expulsion system according to claim 4,wherein said arm is hinged at said first end to said rotation cradle ina movable manner around a hinge axis.
 6. The expulsion system accordingto claim 2, wherein said arm is constituted by an elongated body or barcomprising on said second end a foot or stop.
 7. The expulsion systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said expulsion system comprisesmanipulation means of a lid of said ingot mold.
 8. The expulsion systemaccording to claim 4, wherein said rotation of said rotation cradle iscontrolled by a driving motor and wherein the movement of said armbetween said first position and said second position is controlled by anactuator.
 9. The expulsion system according to claim 1, said expulsionsystem comprising one or more impact absorbers interposed between saidload-bearing structure and said impact plane and adapted to absorb theimpact of said ingot falling on said impact plane.
 10. The expulsionsystem according to claim 1, wherein said plane or impact surface is asurface comprising sand.
 11. A plant for forming metal bars or ingotssaid plant comprises an expulsion system of bars or ingots according toclaim
 1. 12. A process for expelling metal bars or ingots from molds theprocess including the following steps: A. providing a mold comprising abody or an ingot mold with at least one molding cavity of at least oneingot closed at the top by a removable lid and containing at least onesolidified ingot, B. removing said lid from the mold or said ingot mold;C. rotating said ingot mold at an angle greater than 90° to causeexpulsion by fall of said ingot contained thereof, and D. collectingsaid ingot on an impact plane or surface.
 13. The process according toclaim 12, the process comprises between said phase B and said phase C aphase of blocking a perimeter portion of said ingot, by partiallyinserting an arm into said ingot mold for controlling the fall of saidingot, wherein said arm has an end thereof suitable for resting on aperimeter area of the upper surface of said ingot.
 14. The processaccording to claim 12, the process further comprises step E of movingsaid ingot away from said impact plane towards a subsequent treatmentstation.